Time and learning in the special education classroom PDF
Preview Time and learning in the special education classroom
Time and Learning in the Special Education Classroom SUNY Series in Special Education David A. Sabatino, Editor Time and Learning in the Special Education Classroom Libby Goodman State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 1990 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246 Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Goodman, Libby, 1947 Time and learning in the special education classroom / Libby Goodman. p. cm. — (SUNY series in special education) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0791403718. — ISBN 0791403726 (pbk.) 1. Special education. 2. Teachers—Time management. I. Title. II. Series. LC3965. G58 1990 371.9—dc20 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For my mother and father, Rose and Jack Contents Preface ix 1. Time and Learning: An Overview 1 2. Learning Time in Theory and Practice 13 3. Patterns of Time Use 29 4. Conserving Instructional Time 57 5. Enhancing Learning Time and Student Engagement 71 6. Grouping for Instruction 89 7. Monitoring Student Performance 119 8. Monitoring Student Engagement 143 9. Increasing Instructional Effectiveness through PeerTutoring and Student Self 159 Management 10. Direct Instruction and Mastery Learning 181 11. The Future 209 Notes 217 References 219 Index 247 Page ix Preface The genesis of this book lies in two conflicting perceptions about the current state of education for mildly handicapped children. On the one hand, the data on program effects and statistics on the numbers of referrals to and placements in special education portray a disturbing picture of children with learning problems deriving little benefit from special education programs and services. On the other hand, the literature is full of reports and data proclaiming that effective schools and effective education are within our reach. Numerous articles in professional journals delineate the components of effective instruction for both regular and special student. We are told that teachers can make a significant difference in children's academic lives. There is a need to reconcile the "what is" with "what can be." Special education can justifiably take pride in many important accomplishments. The sheer growth of programs and services within our public schools which has guaranteed access to and appropriate education for all handicapped children is an immense accomplishment. Many legal and legislative milestones have greatly advanced the standing and opportunities for handicapped students. Advances in education for the severely and moderately impaired have been truly remarkable and have expanded horizons for all disabled persons. But the severe, moderately, or multiply impaired, i.e., low incidence handicapping conditions, comprise only a small portion of our total special education population. The accomplishments attained for 10 percent of our students, as laudable as they may be, are not sufficient for all of special education. High incidence handicaps account for approximately 90 percent of our handicapped children and for these students the accomplishments are equivocal. The high numbers of new placements versus low number of students exiting from special education; disappointing data on achievement, social gains and post school adjustments; comparison over time of learning outcomes for similarly functioning students, e.g., learning disabled and underachieving, in dissimilar placements (special classes versus regular classes) which show that underachievers in regular classes frequently learn more and do better than learning disabled students in special classes, etc. is evidence that special education is failing large numbers of mildly handicapped children. What's to be done? Where do the solutions lie? Page x This author does not presume to have all of the answers. But the author has long harbored the belief that successful education for the mildly handicapped happens, if it happens at all, in the classroom interactions between teacher and student. Therefore, the ferment in regular education about effective schools and effective teaching and the accompanying literature which focuses attention on instructional processes, identifies effective methods and strategies for basic skill instruction and reaffirms the role of teachers is of immense interest and immediately relevant to special education. Yet special educators have little knowledge of this literature and less understanding of its applicability to their classrooms. Extensive time spent in public school classrooms over the last few years and many interactions with special education teachers pursuing higher level degrees in university classes have brought home to me the degree of isolation which characterizes special education teachers. One is also struck by the enthusiastic and eager response of the special education teacher when presented with information about effective classroom teaching methods. Regular education is the source for much information on instructional processes and on the time and learning relationship. There is much that is relevant and valuable in the special education literature as well. But, regular education has undoubtedly taken the lead in research on time and learning. There is a need to bridge the informational chasm, to synthesize information and research findings from disparate sources. The common denominators for all teachers are the instructional processes and the efficient and effective use of time in the classroom. Teachers fully appreciate the constraints of time, they do not yet fully appreciate or understand how to make the best use their time resources to improve teaching and learning and maximize student learning. Each chapter in the text addresses the issue of instructional time. Some chapters deal with historical perspective and theory, others stress classroom applications. Time is the thread which binds the separate chapters together. It is left to the reader to decide if the right balance has been achieved between theory and practice. Some comments are in order about what this text does not attempt to do. The text does not contain a comprehensive in depth review of the literature. I am indebted to the educators and researchers who have taken on this arduous and difficult task; I have benefited from their labors. Research reviews were an invaluable resource. An effort was made to cull from the vast literature that which was most relevant to the issues, topics and instructional methods discussed. The topics, for the most part, are no longer controversial. They may have been the object of debate or controversy at some time. But the basic themes and the methodologies discussed rest on firm empirical bases. Page xi There is certainly a need for more research to expand, to refine, and to extend some of these methods further into special education classrooms. The major task at hand is to encourage and help special educators to analyze their own teaching and reach out for methods of proven effectiveness in the teaching of basic skills. The topic of time and learning is a vehicle which can help special educators do just that.
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